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All cocktails Waldorf No. 1

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Waldorf No. 1

Classic/vintage · Nightcap/sipping · Spirit-forward

4.2 82 ratings

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz Rye whiskey 50% abv
1 oz Rosso/sweet vermouth
1/6 oz Absinthe
2 dash Orange bitters

How to make

Serve in a coupe glass

Prepare

  1. 1 Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.
  2. 2 Prepare garnish of orange zest twist.

Method

  1. 3 STIR all ingredients with ice.
  2. 4 STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

  1. 5 EXPRESS orange zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.

Flavour profile

50.0% alc./vol. · 1.7 standard drinks · 165 calories

History

Contrary to modern bartending, this riff on the Waldorf bests shaken. Extra dilution and aeration benefit this Sazerac-Manhattan hybrid. Shaking creates lasting foam.

The Waldorf Cocktail takes its name from the original Waldorf Hotel, which stood on New York's Fifth Avenue until its demolition in 1929. The Empire State Building now occupies this site. The hotel was succeeded by the Waldorf-Astoria New York Hotel, built in 1931 at 301 Park Avenue. First appearing in Jacques Straub's 1913 Manual of Mixed Drinks, this cocktail comprises equal parts rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, and absinthe, with 2 dashes of orange bitters. It was later included in Albert Stevens Crockett's 1931 Old Waldorf-Bar Days. This original recipe may prove too intense for contemporary palates, but it can be softened with the addition of 2 spoons of sugar syrup: 15ml (½oz) Rye 15ml (½oz) Sweet vermouth 15ml (½oz) Absinthe 10ml (⅓oz) Sugar syrup (2 sugar : 1 water) 2 dashes Orange bitters SHAKE all ingredients with ice and strain into a double old-fashioned glass filled with crushed ice. WALDORF COCKTAIL 1/3 Jigger Rye Whiskey; 1/3 Jigger Italian Vermouth. 1/3 Jigger Absinthe. 2 Dashes Orange Bitters. Shake.